“Is therapy better than antidepressants for depression?”

It really depends on the degree and what type of depression. Is it situational or has it been going on including anxiety, often times therapy along with antidepressants will assist in resolving confusing and complex moods and emotions

The treatment of depression depends a great deal on the severity and the presence of recurrences. The literature has shown for a long time that psychotherapy is as effect as medication for mild depression. Once a depression becomes more severe the combination of psychotherapy and antidepressant medication made by most effective. In the event that the depression reoccurs or becomes more chronic over time, medication may be the most effective way to treat the depression and prevent depressive episodes. Using the information above, you should be able to make a decision about the best inital approach. If this is your first episode of depression and it is not too severe, psychotherapy may be the most effective, with the fewest side effects for your treatment.

This is a very common question. According to DeRubeis, Siegle, & Hollon (2008), cognitive therapies appear to be as effective as medication. Where therapy stands out is the longitudinal benefits of therapy versus medication. The severity of depression will be a factor in how quickly symptoms will decrease. Another effective method would be combining medication with therapy, and over time titrating the medication as symptoms improve.

For anxiety disorders, cognitive-behavioral therapy, antidepressant medications and anti-anxiety medications have all been shown to be helpful. Research generally shows that psychotherapy is more effective than medications, and that adding medications does not significantly improve outcomes from psychotherapy alone.

Individuals can suffer from medical conditions and chemical imbalances which cause emotional instabilities like depression, but I am convinced a person's emotional well-being is more heavily influenced by what a person thinks about. Many times, it is a person's depressive thoughts that lead them into a condition of being depressed. Every human being has value and purpose, but many times our own learned thought patterns prevent us from seeing ourselves objectively. It is these long-term distorted core beliefs about ourselves that create an environment in which depressive thoughts thrive. Learning to stop these invasive thoughts and developing new proactive thought arrangements is much more effective in the long run that being placed on antidepressants. Antidepressants have their place in regards to helping people with their mental health, but it should not be the first line of defense when dealing with depression. Each individual must work along with their medical support team to determine the best course of action.